Vishing is Phishing over Traditional Phones

But now a more dangerous form of phishing has emerged on the internet. Dubbed "Vishing" or "Vhishing" or "Voice Phishing", this new type of scam makes use of the phone to get your personal financial information for fraudulent use.

This is the screenshot of a real Vishing Email asking for Paypal information [courtesy Bankrate]

How Vishing works ? First, you get an email message saying the security of your bank account is compromised and you have to dial a 1-800 number to verify the account information.

Once you fall in the trap and dial the number mentioned in the e-mail, you are asked, using automated messages, to type your 16-digit card number. The call can then be used to harvest additional details such as security PIN, expiry date, date of birth, bank account number, etc.